Mike's Reflections on Jewish Identity

Being a Jew

There is a sharp contrast in the notion of Jewish identity between Jews living in Diaspora and those living in Israel, and yet we are all part of one people. As an American Jew living as a minority, I find that I must actively seek out observance, from kashrut (Jewish dietary laws) to regular attendance of Shabbat services, to maintain my Jewish identity. Conversely, in Israel, surrounded by Jews, being a member of the community is automatic and so no explicit effort is required, leading to a lack of observance—one of the most popular Yom Kippur activities is riding bicycles on the freeway. Yet this is not to say that people in Israel are any less Jewish, nor are they necessarily explicitly unwilling to participate in Jewish practice, it is simply a matter that, being Jewish by default, no additional effort is necessary; in fact, many Israeli Jews, upon finding themselves living outside Israel are shocked to discover that they need to seek out Judaism, and consequently do so, in order to maintain their identity.

As a part of our discussions of Jewish identity on Shabbat, we broke up into partnerships for discussions of our definitions of community and to which communities we felt we belonged. While it was not my intention, upon learning that my partner identified herself as an Israeli Jew, I asked whether she felt similarly about the nature of Jewish observance inside and outside of Israel, and we proceeded to discuss this one topic almost exclusively. I’m finding that, as the trip progresses, I am continually questioning and refining my definitions of Jewish practice and observance.